Editing Acorn Archimedes (section)

=== A540 ===
The A540, introduced in late 1990, was an anticipated consequence of Acorn's Unix workstation development,<ref name="acornuser199009">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser098-Sep90/page/n8/mode/1up | title=New Arc Planned | magazine=Acorn User | date=September 1990 | access-date=18 April 2021 | pages=7}}</ref> offering the same general specification as Acorn's R260 Unix workstation (running [[RISC iX]]) but without built-in [[Ethernet]] support and running RISC OS 2 instead of Unix.<ref name="acornuser199011_a540">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser100-Nov90/page/n22/mode/1up | title=Five's Alive | magazine=Acorn User | date=November 1990 | access-date=18 April 2021 | last1=James | first1=Paul | last2=Bell | first2=Graham | pages=21}}</ref> It was Acorn's first machine to be fitted with the ARM3 processor as standard, supporting up to 16&nbsp;MB of [[random-access memory|RAM]], and included higher speed SCSI and provision for connecting [[genlock]] devices.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.apdl.co.uk/riscworld/volume9/issue2/blast20/index.htm | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120730032141/http://www.apdl.co.uk/riscworld/volume9/issue2/blast20/index.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = 30 July 2012 | title = The RISC OS Time Machine&nbsp;— A £3000 computer | access-date = 8 June 2011 | last = Williams | first = Mike | author2 = Wrigley, Alan | date = November 1990 | work = RISC User | quote = [...] further differences, one of major importance. This is the SCSI connector on the rear of the SCSI interface card [...] Internally, provision has also been made for Genlock and similar video digitiser boards to be connected directly into the Archimedes.}}</ref> The memory access frequency was raised to 12&nbsp;MHz in the A540, compared to 8&nbsp;MHz in earlier models, thus providing enhanced system performance over earlier models upgraded with ARM3 processors. The hardware design featured memory modules, each providing their own memory controller and 4&nbsp;MB of RAM, and a processor module providing the ARM3 and a slot for a floating point accelerator (FPA) chip, the latter offering the possibility (subsequently unrealised) of processor upgrades. The FPA, replacing Acorn's previous floating point podule, was scheduled to be available in 1991.<ref name="acornuser199011_a540" /> Much delayed, the FPA finally became available in 1993.<ref name="acornsn_issue75">{{ cite news | url=http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Acorn/SN/Acorn_SalesNews75.pdf | title=Sales News | publisher=Acorn Computers Limited | date=29 June 1993 | issue=75 | access-date=14 February 2021}}</ref>